What is Medical Payments Coverage for Auto Insurance?

When choosing the best add-on options for auto insurance, consider medical payments coverage, or MedPay, to ensure you, your family and other passengers are protected in the event of an automobile crash, regardless of who is at fault.

What does MedPay coverage include?

  • EMT and ambulance fees
  • health insurance deductibles and copays
  • doctor or hospital visits
  • surgery, x-rays or protheses
  • nursing services
  • chiropractic care
  • therapeutic services
  • injuries sustained by a vehicle as a pedestrian, cyclist or public transit user
  • funeral expenses

Why MedPay?

MedPay is one of the most overlooked aspects of an auto insurance policy — drivers are often mindful of their vehicles first, with the potential for personal health issues from a crash taking a back seat.

If you or your passengers don’t have health insurance, MedPay is essential coverage.

According to debt.org, basic hospital costs averaged $2,607 per day in 2020, with overnight stays sending costs soaring to an average of $11,700.

It’s common to see hospital bills from crash-related injuries in excess of $25,000, and depending on a policyholder’s location, ambulance services alone can cost $1,000 to $3,000. 

It can also take months of litigation for a decision to be reached following a crash, stalling payouts as bills pile. With MedPay, payouts occur immediately for policyholders.

MedPay helps those with health insurance by covering deductibles and copays. For instance, your health insurance provider may pay the partial cost of an emergency room visit, leaving you to cover a $3,000 deductible. If you’ve selected a coverage limit of $5,000, your MedPay insurance could cover the deductible and ease the copay burden.

MedPay can even cover policyholders injured as passengers in another vehicle.

What’s the difference between PIP and medical payments coverage?

Similar to medical payments coverage, personal injury protection also assists in paying the medical expenses of you and your passengers, regardless of who is at fault.

PIP covers collateral expenses related to a crash, such as lost wages, child care and rehabilitative care, in the event you’re unable perform essential duties. MedPay does not cover such services.

PIP is available in no-fault states; MedPay is available in states that aren’t no-fault. Depending on state law, PIP is sometimes required; MedPay is always optional.

Speak with a Leliaert Insurance Agency staff member today to help you determine the best fit for your coverage needs.